Blasting Cap
About the Blasting Cap The Blasting Cap resembles a cross between a mushroom, a powder keg, and a bundle of dynamite, Blasting Caps are exactly what you'd expect them to be. Through some kind of biological process Blasting Caps detonate violently when their sensitive, bright yellow-orange ‘veins’ are touched, spewing spores and fungal flesh everywhere as well as chemically burning any surrounding matter. Deeper examinations on intact Blasting Caps have been as-of-yet impossible due to their volatility, though their young are less volatile (as they have not developed their primary sensory veins) and provide may insight as to how the mature Caps may work. A Blasting Cap explosion is relatively small when compared to how large the fungus itself is, and it should be noted that very rarely does the entire organism detonate at once - typically, its individual ‘dynamite stick’ protrusions detonate before the main ‘barrel’ cap explodes, ensuring that it can grow back while still being able to produce spores as a mature individual. Subjects have reported first- and second-degree burns when exposed to Blasting Cap explosions, though thankfully most wounds are superficial in nature. More sensitive or fragile extremities such as wings and antennae should be adequately protected before approaching a Cap, as the force of a nearby detonation may be enough to cause tearing in addition to chemical burning Thankfully the wet flesh of the Cap itself (which will be finely coating the area after an explosion) is quite spongy and is more disgusting than physically harmful - the chemical burning effect is most likely due to the burning ‘black powder’ spores rather than any caustic substance in the flesh. Blasting Caps prefer growing in damper regions of the forest such as near marshes or rivers, and it’s long stilt-like ‘legs’ allow it to grow in shallow water and places that otherwise flood in wet seasons. Weaponizing or even simply farming these Caps has proven to be very difficult, primarily because of their volatility, secondarily because of their tremendous size and lack of easy and safe portobelloty...Portability. Blasting Cap spores look, smell, taste, and most importantly function like gunpowder - it's safe to say they play an important role in the Cap’s defense mechanism. Blasting Caps release small amounts of spores constantly through the ends of their tuberous caps, and the air around them is about as hazardous as breathing gunpowder is. Mostly you'll just be sneezing a lot, but if you have any lasting effects such as lung pain I implore you to visit the doctor's office. We can't have explosive mushrooms growing in our lungs, now can we? Young Blasting Caps look like sticks of dynamite, if we made sticks of dynamite out of wet orange fungus. As mentioned earlier, research is currently being conducted on these younger Caps as they are much less prone to detonation, though it has been made abundantly clear that young Caps still possess some form of ‘tripwire’ as many a biologist has been splattered by what seems to be touching it in the wrong place at the wrong time. The leftover Blasting Cap flesh splattered on the ground after a detonation is very spicy when cooked and possesses a hint of sulfur, just enough to make it have an almost bitter aftertaste. As it tastes of little other than 'quite spicy’ and ‘actual brimstone’, it is a popular 'dare’ food that foals love to see their friends eat by the mouthful. Under no circumstance should one believe a certain mothfilly when she tells you that a young, uncooked Blasting Cap “explodes in your mouth with lots of flavor!”. There will be no flavor. There will be a trip to the medical ward. Chefs on a budget will often grate Blasting Cap flesh to give it a hotter flavor without using peppers. Less durable creatures than us Moths are often found with chunks taken out of them after an encounter with a mature Cap, and other fungus-based Rotbeasts are particularly vulnerable to the chemical effects of the black powder spores. Though many have attempted to harvest Blasting Cap spores for use as a substitute for gunpowder, none have managed to preserve the spores long enough for them to be useful. Thus concludes my notes on the peculiar Blasting Cap. I certainly hope it was worth the feeler I have to nurse. References *https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/32008294/#q32129166 See Also *Rot: A Compendium *The Forest of the Rot